Paper forming and drying machine.



PATENTED JULY 18. 1905.

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APPLICATION FILED OCT-17, 1804.

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PATENTED JULY 18, 1905.

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APPLICATION FILED OUT. 17, 1904.

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No. 795,055. PATENTED JULY 18, 1905. G. W. NISTLB.

PAPER FORMING AND DRYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION mum 001217, 1904.

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i V H i A To exhausi ANDREW u mum m vumvummmmr'ilrm. wwnmmun UNITEDSTATES Patented July 18, 1905. 1

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. NISTLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO EVERETTW. BROOKS AND ONE-THIRD TO ROBERT L. GIFFORD,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PAPER FORMING AND DRYING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 795,055, dated July 18,1905. Application filed October 1'7, 1904. Serial No. 228,779.

paper and other sheeted material from fibrous pulp, having referencemore particularly to that class of machines which are employed inextracting the moisture from the sheet of paper or other pulp as itcomes from the digesting-vats.

In the manufacture of paper or other sheeted material from fibrous pulpthere is at present extensively employed a system which includes, amongother features, a cylinder having a perforated periphery that issubmerged in the pulp-vat nearly to its highest point,

said cylinder being provided with a fluid-discharge-passage through itsend whereby as it is rotated the water flowing thereinto through theperforated peripheral shell deposits a thin coating of the pulp on saidperipheral surface, from the upper portion of which the moist sheet ofpulp thus deposited is received on an endless blanket which passesbetween squeezing-rolls which remove a portion of the water, leaving theremaining moisture to be removed byheat. My invention has for itsleading object to simplify the mechanism employed in this processthrough the construction of a cylinder which shall be capable ofperforming the functions of both the pulp-collecting and the pulp-dryingmechanisms above referred to, and this I accomplish through theprovision of aroll or cylinder having a perforated peripheral surfacemounted upon a hollow shaft containing a plurality of separated portsopening to the interior of the cylinder, said ports communicatingsuccessively with different portions of the periphery of the cylinderand operating upon the latter with varying vacuum effects. The cylinderis dipped into the pulp-vat to the extent only of a portion of itslowerperiphery, and a port of the hollow axis communicating with suchsubmerged portion of the periphery is subjected to a vacuum ofsuflicient strength to attract to said submerged portion of theperiphery the particles of pulp in the desired thickness, the remainingport or ports being subjected to a vacuum or vacua of different degreesof strength, preferably greater, to extract the moisture from the pulpthus collected on the cylinder as the latter revolves over said otherport or ports of the shaft. In this way a certain minor portion of theperiphery of the cylinder is applied to the function of collecting thepulp in a sheet of the desired thickness, according to the strength ofthe vacuum maintained, and the remaining portion of the periphery isapplied to the function of drying out the sheet thus collected throughthe application of another vacuum or vacua of suitable strength orintensity to effect such drying operation.

A machine embodying the principle of my invention in the best mechanicalform thereof which I have as yet devised is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly inlongitudinal section, of my improved collecting and drying cylinder.Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. "1. Fig. 3 is across-sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an end view ofthe lefthand end of the machine as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a similarend view of a modified form embodying an extension of the sameprinciple. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a hollow divided andported shaft, such as is employed in the modified form of Fig. 5; andFig. 7 is a detail illustrating the preferred means for supporting theperforated shell of the cylinder upon the outer ends of the radialspokes.

Referring to the drawings, 8 designates each of a pair of uprights inwhich is secured a stationary hollow shaft 9, one end of which may beclosed, as by a cap 10, while the other end communicates with a pair ofpipes 11 and 12, leading to the suction side of suitable vacuum-pumps orother air-exhausting devin one piece. solid throughout and extend theentire length vices. The stationary hollow shaft 9 is di- Videdlongitudinally by an inwardly-extending semicircular partition 13 intotwo bores or chambers, the larger of which, 14, communicates with thesuction-pipe 11, while the smaller, 15, communicates with thesuctionpipe 12. The chamber 14 of the shaft is ported by means of arectangular opening 16, which, as shown, extends widthwise throughapproximately nine-fourteenths of the circumference of the shaft, whilelengthwise it stops considerably short of the two ends of the shaft, asis clearly shown in Fig. 1. The smaller chamber 15 is similarly portedby means of a rectangular opening 17 which extends widthwise the fullwidth of the chamber and lengthwise to the same extent as the opening16.

Surrounding the shaft 9 is the frame or spider of the cylinder,consisting of a central hub 18, having a plurality of radially-extendingarms or spokes 19, the outer edges of which latter support a cylindricalperforated shell 20, which latter supports a covering of woven wire orother perforated or reticulated .material, (indicated by 21.) The hub18, as

herein shown, is made in two sections which respectively surround thoseportions of the central stationary shaft lying beyond either end of theports or openings 16 and 17 said sections of the hub being rigidlyunited by the inner ends of thespokes 19 set therein. Said hub-sectionsand spokes may all be cast Said arms or spokes 19 are of the cylinder,as shown in Fig. 1, thus, in effect, dividing the cylinder into aplurality of independent adjacent sectors, each of which is successivelybrought into communication with and cut off from the chambers 14 and 15as the cylinder revolves on its stationary shaft, since the spacebetween the ends of adjacent spokes is open and unobstructed throughoutthe longitudinal space between the two sections of the hub 18. Thecylinder may be turned by any suitable train of gearing from a source ofpower, a gear 22 being herein indicated as mounted on one end of theroll for this purpose.

The operation is as follows: Assuming that the cylinder is dipped intothe pulp to the extent indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, wherein the line a 7)indicates the upper surface of the liquid, the vacuum transmittedthrough pipe 12, chamber 15, and port 17 is operating in and throughthose sectors of the cylinder the lower ends of which are submerged,whereby the pulp suspended and floating in the liquid is attracted tothe submerged surface of the cylinder and gathers thereon in a sheet ofgreater or less thickness, according to the strength of the vacuumemployed. Assuming that the cylinder turns in the direction indicated bythe arrows, the pulp thus collected is carried upwardly and on emergingating through pipe 11, chamber 14, and port 16. This latter vacuum actsupon the pulp until it reaches a point opposite the left-hand horizontaledge of port 16, as shown in Fig. 2, at which point the interior spaceof the sectors is cut off by the solid portion of the stationary hollowshaft, whereupon the sheet of pulp may be stripped off by a suitablescraper (not shown) and carried thence to a receiving-drum. or toanother cylinder for still further drying, if necessary. In practice aminor vacuum will ordinarily be exerted through chamber 15 and port 17while a major vacuum will operate upon the sheet through its longertravel around the wider port 16, and both the absolute and relativedegrees of vacuums thus maintained can be readily controlled, asexperiment may suggest, by means of valves 11 and 12, interposed in thepipes 11 and 12, respectively.

In the modification illustrated by Figs 5 and 6 the largervacuum-chamber 14 of the stationary hollow shaft is divided bya solidpartition 23 into two separate vacuumcham bers 14: and 1 1', with whichcommunicate at the end of the shaft suction-pipes 24; and 25,respectively, having controlling-valves 24 and 25*. This form ofapparatus provides for the application of a plurality of differentvacuum effects upon the major periphery of the cylinder during thedrying operation.' It is obvious that the same principle might beapplied also to a similar longitudinal division of the smallervacuum-chamber 15, if found desirable, to vary the vacuum effect ondifferent parts of the submerged portion of the cylinder, while the sameprinciple is also capable of still further extension by furthersubdivision of either or both of the vacuumchambers of the shaft.

Fig. 7 illustrates the preferred means of mounting the shell of thecylinder upon its spokes, said means consisting of channelbars 26,secured centrally at the outer ends of the spokes 19 and at their outeredges directly supporting the perforated shell 20. This constructionpromotes the perfect crosssectional circularity of the shell by reasonof increasing the number of internal supports thereof and decreasing thespace between said supports.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention provides anapparatus in which both the forming and drying of the sheet may beperformed on a single roll or cylinder through the application ofseparate vacuum effects to different peripheral portions thereof,' whichvacuum effects may be varied and regulated, as found most eflicient, tocreate the different desired effects upon the pulp. Of course theseveral suction-pipes might be connected to as many different exhaustingdevices of different capacities; but when said pipes are equipped withthe controllingvalves, as shown and described, whether manual orautomatic, it is feasible to connect all of said pipes to a singlesource of vacuum, said valves permitting regulation of the vacuumefl'ects transmitted through the several pipes to the degree or degreesdesired.

WVhile l have described the machine as designed for use in themanufacture of paper and contemplate that such will be its principalapplication, yet it is evident that it might advantageously be employedin the manufacture of sheeted felt or any other sheeted material madefrom a fibrous pulp. Furthermore, while I have disclosed the air-exhaustdevices as connected with but one end of the stationary hollow shaft ofthe apparatus, yet it will be evident that such connection might be madeto both ends of said shaft, if desired, within the principle of theinvention.

It is evident that the spirit and principle of my invention are capableof embodiment in other forms of apparatus than the particular formsherein shown and described. Hence 1 do not limit the invention to theparticular mechanical embodiment herein presented except to the extentindicated in specific claims.

I claim 1. The combination with a cylinder having a perforated shelladapted to dip into a pulpvat, of an internal cylindrical stationaryvalve on which said cylinder is mounted, and means for exerting aplurality of vacuum effects radially from said valve through theinterior of said cylinder operative upon different parts of itsperiphery, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a cylinder having a perforated shell adapted todip into a pulpvat, of an internal cylindrical stationary valve on whichsaid cylinder is mounted, and means for exerting aplurality of vacuumeffects of different degrees radially from said valve through theinterior of said cylinder operative upon different parts of itsperiphery, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a cylinder having a perforated shell adapted todip into a pulpvat, of an internal cylindrical stationary valve on whichsaid cylinder is mounted, and means for exerting radially from saidvalve through the interior of said cylinder a minor vacuum effect uponthe submerged portion of the periphery and a major vacuum effect uponthe exposed portion of the periphery, substantially' as described.

4c. The combination with a cylinder having a perforated shell adapted'todip into a pulpvat and interiorly subdivided into a plurality ofindependent sectors in Which are to be maintained different degrees ofvacuum, of an internal cylindrical stationary valve containing portscommunicating with various sources of vacuum and adapted to transmit thevarious vacuum effects therethrough to different parts of the peripheryof said cylinder, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a cylinder having a perforated shell adapted todip into a pulpvat and interiorly subdivided into a plurality ofindependent sectors, of an internal cylindrical stationary valve onwhich said cylinder is rotatably mounted, said valve being dividedlongitudinally into independent suction-chambers, one of said chambersbeing connected to a source of vacuum and having a port adapted tocommunicate successively with the sectors of the submerged portion ofthe shell, and another chamber connected to another source of vacuum andhaving a port adapted to communicate with sectors of the exposed portionof the shell, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a cylinder having a hub cut out through itsintermediate portion, a plurality of solid spokes extending from end toend thereof, and a perforated shell adapted to dip into a pulp-vat, of astationary hollow shaft on which said cylinder is rotatably mounted,said shaft being clivided longitudinally into a plurality ofvacuum-chambers having ports communicating with the interior of saidcylinder, and means for applying vacuums of different degrees to saidvacuum-chambers, substantially as described.

GEORGE W. NISTLE.

Vitnesses SAMUEL N. POND, FREDERICK G. GooDWIN.

